EATING OUT

One of my favourite meals we ate in Oaxaca. Small quiet terrace out back. Try: the pozole (best I've ever had) and the fish tacos which are made with blue corn tortillas (below). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $$

The tlayudas here are sooooo delicious. One can feed two people, they are massive. Try: Tasajo (Oaxacan style salted beef in thin strips) and/or the chorizo tlayuda. Open for dinner and late night until 4 am. $

Local spot 20 minute walk from the centre (or 5 minute taxi) and totally worth it. They focus on antojitos– corn based Mexican tapas including tacos, quesadillas, tamales, tostadas etc. They use heirloom corn varieties to make their food on the comal, a large round Mexican griddle made from terra cotta or cast iron. Itanoni makes delicious antojitos specific to Oaxaca including memelas and tetelas. They use multiple kinds of organic corn flour which are stone ground by the cooks. Try: memelas and tetelas with quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese). Open early for breakfast and lunch. $

A modern take on Mexican food/ingredients. Very delicious and more similar to tapas dishes in Canada or USA but Mexican inspired. Mezcal tastings available where they give information about the agave plant, explain how it's made, the differences in varieties etc. Local craft beers + mezcal cocktails. I loved this place, the vibe is great and so is the area. The staff are amazing here– very happy to serve you but also chill. They all have a lot of knowledge about mezcal and speak English fluently. Happy hour 5-6:30. Try: a variety of their house mezcals + mezcal cocktails. Open dinner to midnight. $$$

Baked goods, breakfast/lunch meals and coffee available for dining in and taking out. Beautiful open air courtyard as the dining space. Went here morning for coffee and morning croissants/bread. Try: theomelettes, house made pastries + granola. Open breakfast and lunch. $$

Authentic Oaxacan food served in beautiful building with good service and interesting dishes. A more upscale meal for a night out. Tried escamoles (ant eggs), black mole, grilled octopus, cocktails and dessert– all was amazing. Best mole I've ever had. Try: the mole!!! Duh. Open lunch and dinner. $$$

A hall of barbecued meat!!! (below) Grab your vegetables from the front, then head down and choose your meat(s). Vendors on the barbecues grill the veggies at the same time for you. We got the mixto which included all three– tasajo (salted beef), cecina (thinly sliced pork) + chorizo. There's a lady who sells you warm tortillas and choose your sides (salsas, guacamole, etc) from another person who comes to your seat. A bit confusing at first but definitely worth it! Open all day. $

Carne asadas at Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Mamey fruit at the Tlacolula market

blue corn

OTHER SNACKS + STREET FOOD

MOLE

Traditional sauces made with variations of dried chilies, nuts, seeds, spices and thickened with masa, tortillas, or bread. There are 7 types of Oaxacan mole so take your pick whether you order it at a restaurant atop meat or buy it in bulk from the market and dress enchiladas at home.

TEJATE (te-ha-tey)

Known as the Drink of the Gods. A traditional Oaxacan beverage served by many street vendors. It looks like powdered clay and water, but it is so delicious and refreshing in the afternoon sun. Made with roasted maize flour, fermented cacao beans, mamey seeds + cacao flower made into a paste and mixed with water.

ELOTES

Mexican corn on the cob served by street vendors. Grilled corn topped with a slather of cotija cheese, crema/mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, + chili. The perfect snack while wandering the Zocalo at night.

JICATELAS

AGUAS FRESCAS

Fresh fruit blended with water, lime juice and sometimes a bit of sugar. I like a minimum of two agua frescas a day in Mexico.

Agua de Sandia (watermelon juice)

CONSOME

A little cup of savoury soup– beef broth, shredded chicken, lime, onions, cilantro, + hot sauce. My favourite consome in Oaxaca City was from a street vendor on the corner of 5 de Mayo and A Gurrión, near the Templo De Santo Domingo.

TACOS

Some of the best and cheapest tacos are served on the street with a chair or bench near by.

MEZCAL

Traditional Mexican distilled spirit made from a variety of agave plants. The agave hearts (piñas) are roasted over hot rocks in a palenque (an in-ground pit) and covered with moist agave fibre that remains from the fermentation. Leaves of agave or palm are laid on top to cover the fibres and the agaves are left for two to three days. The underground grilling caramelizes the sugars of the piñas and produces the smoky and sweet flavour of mezcal that stands out next to tequila which is also made from agave (although only blue agave + baked in above ground oven). Click here to learn more.

PULQUE + TEPACHE

Pulque– a fermented milky drink made from the sap of agave plants. It is older than tequila or mezcal, has a low alcohol content of 4-6 % and is high in vitamin c + probiotics. Tastes a little sour, milky + a bit sweet. Mostly home brewed or sold by vendors/mezcal shops/

Tepache– a fermented Mexican beverage made from pineapple peels, piloncillo (unrefine Mexican cane sugar) and cinnamon. Similar to kombucha in it's funky sweet flavour and can quickly turn to vinegar if fermenting for a little too long. How to make tepache here.

Mezcals– Pineapple, Alipus (San Andres), Walnut

Agave (maguey) plant

This lovely + happy human at Tlacolula market

Tepache (left) and pulque (right)

PALETAS

Mexican popsicles served out of little shops (paleterias) or by street vendors. Perfect for the heat of the day, made with fresh fruit (pureed or left in chunks/slices) of all kinds. Pineapple or any kind of melon are my favourites. Some are made with cream but are still light and fresh.

Yes, three. Is that too many? There is no such thing as too many popcorn flavours in my opinion.

To know me is to know my indecisiveness, particularly with food. I want it all. To know me is to also know my love of popcorn. Where I can have it all. One standard plus two unusual yet addicting savoury and sweet types.

Let's take a walk down memory lane to some of my most transformative popcorn memories. (Sounds riveting, yes? Or you can skip to the bottom for the recipes because DAMN. You need this in your life.)

Let's start at the beginning. Popcorn is comfort. Popcorn is versatile. Popcorn is light and airy but awakens an aggressive need for more. As a kid it was movie theatres and kettle corn on special occasions. As I got older it represented sleepovers, sharing secrets, giggling for hours about nothing and Girl Talk– a truth or dare board game with zit stickers as penalties, because that's considered the worst thing that can happen to a girl. It had “fortune cards" which held the possibility of 5 kids and a deadbeat husband before the age of 22. Ummm I think I'll pass, thanks. Basically your future always sucked because it focused exclusively around being with a man and that is supposed to be enough for every female human. It wasn't the best model of a woman's future for prepubescent brains trying to figure out how to operate in the world. The other day I was reminded how much things have changed since the 90s when I brought up Dream Phone (another popular 90s board game) with a friend.

Me: “OMG! Remember Dream Phone!? I loved that game!" Her: “No." Because she's 21, so she wasn't even a fetus while I was finding out my dream guy likes to eat pizza and rides a skateboard (definitely my type btw). Me: “It was this fun 90s game you would play with girlfriends and gay best friend who didn't know he was gay yet but would just “play for fun". You call boys on a giant pink Zack Morris phone–" Her: “Who's Zack Morris?" Me: “OMG whaaaat?! Zack Morris!! Mark Paul Gosselaar!?! Saved By The Bell!?! K well anyways, he had a massive cell phone– not the point. So you call people and they tell you hints about the guy who likes you. Then you guess who it is to win. It's basically Clue but with boys and a phone the size of a shoe....... You know, the more I talk about it, the less cool it seems. Girls obsessing over the same guy and calling people to find out every detail about his life..."

We both agreed that Dream Phone would not be released today which is good because although that big pink phone is pretty rad, it's an emotionally unhealthy game for females. We've moved on to better, more mind expanding games. Like Candy Crush.

As an adult I've been known to eat popcorn for dinner on occasion. Usually followed by a big bowl of ice cream (for balance of course). But my idea of what good popcorn is, changed the day I was wandering an eccentric hippie market and sampled popcorn tossed in olive oil, salt and nutritional yeast. “WHOA. This hippie dust is amazing!" I thought. My mind was blown. It was nutty, cheese-like and satiating. Bonus: nutritional yeast is good for you! And although the name sounds like it would leave you with a pasty mouth of bad breath, it's delicious! From that moment on, my popcorn game was elevated by ten folds.

1. Classic (coconut oil + nutritional yeast)

2. Mexican Spiced Lime

3. Ras El Hanout + Salted Maple

My next popcorn tale is shrouded in international mystery and hazes of tequila. I was living in Mexico for awhile during college. One evening my handsome Mexican neighbours made popcorn for a movie night. They tossed it in a simple magic of lime, salt and Valentina hot sauce. It was amazing and I was smitten. When I returned home, I ate my popcorn as such for a long time. It brought me back to my time in Mexico– the amazing people, foods I'd eaten and things I'd seen. This highly flavoured popcorn is savoury, spicy and a hint of sweetness. Es perfecto.

Do you like my lime eyes guys? They are very in right now btw.

The third type I created comes from my curiosity of North African spices– ras el hanout and salted maple. I ate this popcorn for 5 days straight while recipe testing and still wanted more. With a sweet and savoury curry-esque flavour, it's slightly strange but addictive. I learned from a chef that ras el hanout means “head of the shop" and is sold at spice markets as their best blend. A house blend where the recipe is secret and can include upwards of 40 different spices. And secret recipes always taste better, right?

the feels: light, salty, sweet + savoury

might like if you're into: double features, drive-in theatres, Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, Settlers of Catan, sharing secrets.

the science

each yields 2 - 4 servings || time: 10 - 15 minutes

ingredients:

classic (coconut oil + nutritional yeast)

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

3 tablespoon coconut oil (can sub olive oil/butter), divided

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

mexican spiced lime

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

3 tablespoon coconut oil, divided

1 lime, juiced and zested

1 tablespoon agave

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion flakes

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

ras el hanout + salted maple

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon ras el hanout

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

method:

In large pot, heat 1 tbsp oil and a couple popcorn kernels over medium - high heat. When the first few kernels pop, add the remaining 1/2 cup of kernels and toss in oil until fully coated. Put lid on pot and shake well every 5 - 10 seconds so that popcorn does not burn. Remove popcorn from stove when kernels are only popping one every few seconds or not at all. Pour popcorn into large bowl.

In small saucepan, add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and all ingredients (spices, salt, sweeteners, lime juice), except the nutritional yeast and lime zest if making recipe one or two. Mix until melted and well combined.

Pour half the melted mixture over popcorn and toss well. Add second half of mixture and toss until popcorn is evenly coated. Add nutritional yeast (and lime zest for mexican recipe) and toss one final time.